Cornet, trumpet, and the like



G. A. ENDERS.

CORNET, TRUMPET, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.6, I917.

7 w l 7 r I Z [I z 9 AMA! 6 i i 9 T- v a i 1 9 P l. 0 m a UNITED STATES GUSTAV A. ENDERS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CORNET, TRUMPET, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed August 6, 1917. Serial No. 184,738.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV A. ENDERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Cornets, Trumpets, and the like, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to wind instruments of the cornet type which are provided with a plurality of valves by which different tones are produced, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide an instrument of this type in which the valves are all alike and are all interchangeable, and another object is to provide an instrument which produces a superior tone and which can be operated with a minimum of effort. Other objects of the invention are to improve wind instruments of this type, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

The type of instrument herein shown 1s that in which the valves are in the form of pistons or plungers operable in suitable cylinders, each piston or plunger being provided with a key or finger-piece by which it may be depressed. The depression of the keys serves to actuate the piston-portions of the valves thereby to change the length of the air passage, such change resulting in producing different tones.

In my improved instrument the pistons of the valves are all alike so that any piston will fit any cylinder. The advantage of this construction is that when the pistons are removed from the cylinders in order to be cleaned, or for any other reason, it will not be necessary to note which piston is taken from any particular cylinder, as any one of the pistons will fit all of the cylinders.

The connecting passages between the various cylinders are all situated in line with each other so that when any key is raised and the corresponding valve is in normal position a straight air passage is afforded through the valve. As a result, when all of the keys are raised and all the valves are in normal position there will be a straight air passage transversely through all of the valves and cylinders, said passages having unbroken smooth walls. In my improved instrument the mouth piece tube leading to the valves is straight and the passage beyond the valves is straight for a considerable distance. Thus when all the valves are raised or in normal position there is a straight passage from the mouth piece clear to the valves and to a considerable distance beyond the valves. I have found that an instrument having this feature is much easier to operate than one in which the passage to the valve or the passage through the valvesis more or less circuitous.

In order to give an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a cornet embodying my invention showing in cross section one of the valvesand the air passage through the other valves;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the cylinder of the first valve;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are different views of one of my improved interchangeable valve pistons;

Fig. 6 is a cross section through the end of one of the cylinders. I r

The instrument is shown generally at 1 and it is provided with the usual mouth piece a which is inserted in the mouth-piece tube or branch 2 leading to the valves that are indicated generally at b, c and (i, said instrument being provided with the pipe or duct 6 leading from the valves to the bell n. The mouth-piece tube 2 is straight and the pipe or duct 6 is also straight for a considerable distance beyond the valves, the straight portion of the duct 6 being in line with the mouth-piece tube 2. The valves 6, c and (Z are of the piston valve type, each valve comprising a cylinder or valve casing 7 in which operates a piston or plunger 8 that is acted upon at one end by a spring 1 that tends to hold the piston or plunger in its normal position and is provided at its other end with a key 9 by which it may be depressed.

Each plunger is retained in its valve casing by means of a removable cap 0 which screws onto the end of the valve casing, and each plunger is also provided with a guiding projection 76 which operates in aslot m formed in the valve casing and whioh pre= vents the valve from turning.

In my improved instrument the mouthpiece branch 2 leads directly into the first valve 7) and the duct 6 leads from the third valve (Z. The valve casing of each valve is provided with two oppositely-situated ports 10, said ports 10 all being in line with each other. The mouth-piece branch 2 leads into one port 10 of the valve casing of the first valve 5, the other port 10 of said valve casing communicating by means of a 10 straight tubular connection 11 with one of the ports of the valve casing of the second valve 0. The other port of said second valve casing communicates with another straight tubular connection 12 which leads 1 5 to one ofthe :portsof thethird valve casing.

The other portof the third valve casing is inline with-and communicates with the duct 16 leading to the bell.

The piston 8 of each valve is provided 20 with a transverse duct or port j extending transversely therethrough, said ports j being'so situated that when the valve plungers are in their raised position shown in Fig. 1 they are in. line with the ports 10. These 5 ports 7' :are of the same size as the ports 10 and the latter are of the same size as the tubular connections 11 and 12. Hence when the valve plungers are all raised there will be a straight passage through the valves from the mouth-piece branch2to the duct 6, said :passage having smooth walls and being of uniform size throughout its length. The ifirst valve 6 has the first valve slide 0 connected thereto, the second valve 0 has the second valve slide f connected thereto and the third valve 03 has the third valve slide 9 connected thereto. Each plunger or piston 8 is provided with ports hand 2' arranged to communicate with the corresponding valve slide when the plunger is depressed, all as usual in instruments of this class, and the points of connection between the ends of each valve slide and the corresponding valve casing are the same as that between the ends of any other valve slide and its valve casing, this being necessary in order that the valve plungers may be interchangeable. the valve plunger for the first valve 0 is "depressed, the :port i connects the mouthpiece branch 2 with one end of the valve slide 6 and the port 71, connects the other end of said valve slide with the connection 11. Similarly when the plunger or valve 6 is depressed the port i will connect the connection '11 with one end of valve slide 7 and the port 7 will connect the other end of said valve slide 7 with the connection 12. When the plunger of valve d is depressed the portz' will connect the connection 12 with one end of the valve slide 9 and the port 71. will con- '65 mixed up when they are removed for any purpose, such as for cleaning them, and in replacing said plungers any one plunger may be used equally well in any one of the valve casings. This is a decided advantage because it obviates the annoyance which is due to improper replacement of the valve plungers.

It is also a decided advantage to have all of the ports 10 in line with each other and to have the connections 11 and 12 as shown so as to give a straight air passage through all of the valves. 1 find that by this construction a better and purer tone can be obtained, especially in producing the upper note of octz ves, and also that such tones can be produced with less efi'ort than with the ordinary instrument where'the passages between adjacent valves'are more or less circuitous.

I claim:

1. A wind instrument having three valves and their valve slides, a straight mouthpiece tube leading to the first valve, a bell portion, and a pipe or duct leading from the valves to the bell portion, said pipe or duct being straight for a considerable distance beyond the valves and being situated in line with the mouthpiece tube, each valve comprising a cylindrical valve casing having oppositely-situated ports and a spring-pressed plunger operable in said valve casing and provided with a transverse port which is alined with the oppositelysituated ports when the plunger is elevated, the oppositelysituated ports of all the casings being in line with each other and the ports of adja- 00 cent casings being connected by straight connections whereby when the plungers are elevated a straight passage of uniform diameter is provided from the mouthpiece through the valves and to a considerable dis tance beyond the valves, all of the plungers having the same relative arrangement of ports whereby the plungers are interchangeable and each plunger can be used equally well in any valve casing.

2. A wind instrument having three valves and their valve slides, a mouth-piece tube leading to the first valve, a bell portion, and a pipe or duct leading from the valves to the bell portion, said pipe or duct being straight for a considerable distance in advance of and beyond the valves and being situated in line with the inner end of the mouthpiece tube, each valve comprising a cylindrical valve casing having oppositelysituated ports and a spring-pressed plunger operable in said valve casing and provided with a transverse port which is alined with the oppositely-situated ports when the plunger is elevated, the oppositely-situated ports of all the casings being in line with each other and the ports of adjacent casings being connected by straight connections whereby when the plungers are elevated a straight passage of uniform diameter is provided 130 from a substantial portion of the mouth- In testimony whereof I have aifixed my iece tube through the valves and to a consignature in the presence of two Witnesses. siderable distance beyond the valves, all of GUSTAV A ENDERS the plungers having the same relative ar- 5 rangement of ports whereby the plungers are Witnesses:

interchangeable and each plunger can be MAURICE BUSHMAN, used equally Well in any valve casing. ANNA L. BERG. 

